Electron Configurations-

Transition, Ionization
 Classical View of the Universe
• since the time of the ancient Greeks, the stuff of the physical
universe has been classified as either matter or energy
• we define matter as the stuff of the universe that has mass
and volume
– therefore energy is the stuff of the universe that does not have mass
and volume
• we know that matter is ultimately composed of particles,
and the properties of particles determine the properties we
observe
• energy therefore should not be composed of particles, in
fact the thing that all energy has in common is that it travels
in waves
 Light: Electromagnetic Radiation

• light is a form of energy

• light is one type of energy called

electromagnetic radiation with
electric and magnetic field
components and travels in waves
 Electromagnetic Waves
1. velocity = c = speed of light
– its constant! = 2.997925 x 108 m/s (m•sec-1) in vacuum
– all types of light energy travel at the same speed
2. amplitude = A = measure of the intensity of the wave,
“brightness”
– height of the wave
3. wavelength = l = distance between crests
– generally measured in nanometers (1 nm = 10-9 m)
– same distance for troughs or nodes
– determines color
4. frequency = n = how many peaks pass a point in a second
– generally measured in Hertz (Hz),
– 1 Hz = 1 wave/sec = 1 sec-1
 Electromagnetic Waves
 Wavelength (λ) is the distance
between any 2 successive crests or
troughs.

Amplitude

Nodes
 WAVES

 Frequency (nu,n) is the number of waves

produced per unit time.
 Wavelength and frequency are inversely
proportional.
As wavelength of a wave increases
its frequency decreases

 Speed tells how fast waves travel through space.

6
10.1
 ELECTROMAGNETIC
RADIATION
 The classification of electromagnetic waves according to
their frequency is called electromagnetic spectrum.

 These waves range from -rays (short λ, high f)

to radio waves (long λ, low f).

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 ELECTROMAGNETIC
RADIATION
X-rays have longer
Visible light is a
λ but lower  than Infrared waves have
small part of the
-rays longer λ but lower 
EM spectrum than visible light

8
10.2
 Particles of Light
• Albert Einstein and other scientists in the early 20th
century showed that wave properties do not
completely explain electromagnetic radiation (EM) and
showed that EM was composed of particle-like
properties called photons
– photons are particles of light energy
• each wavelength of light has photons that have a
different amount of energy
– the longer the wavelength, the lower the energy of the
photons
 DUAL NATURE
OF LIGHT
 Scientists, therefore, use both the wave and
particle models for explaining light. This is
referred to as the wave-particle nature of light.
 Scientists also discovered that when atoms are
energized at high temperatures or by high
voltage, they can radiate light. Neon lights are
an example of this property of atoms.

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 Light’s Relationship to Matter
He
• Atoms can acquire extra energy, but
they must eventually release it
• When atoms emit energy, it always is
released in the form of light
• However, atoms don’t emit all colors,
only very specific wavelengths
Hg
– in fact, the spectrum of wavelengths can
be used to identify the element
 Molecular spectroscopy
• Electronic transitions: UV-visible
• Vibrational transitions: IR
• Rotational transitions: Radio

Electronic Vibrational Rotational

 Three types of Spectra
Continuous, Emission, and Absorption
 Continuous Spectra and Blackbodies
The intensity different wavelengths (or frequencies) of E-M
radiation from a blackbody,
(or an object like a blackbody i.e. a solid or a high pressure
gas like a star or gas giant)
changes gradually.
They emit a continuous spectrum
Intensity of specific wavelengths may vary but there are no
gaps .
 Emission Spectra
A hot gas only gives off the specific wavelengths
light that match its molecules.
These spectra will appear as bright lines at
specific wavelengths with gaps in between…
an Emission Spectrum
The pattern of bright lines in the emission
spectrum from a hot, glowing gas tells us what
it is made of.
 Absorption Spectra
When light is reflected off or passes through a
cool gas it is absorbed, but only those
wavelengths that the specific gas can absorb
Dark lines will appear in spectra of such light, an
absorption spectrum
The pattern of dark lines in the absorption
spectrum tells us what the cool gas is made of.
 Photons/sec
Photons/sec White light 660 nm

Wavelength
Wavelength

Only photons with energy equal to energy difference

between orbits 2 and 3 are absorbed. This energy
corresponds to a wavelength of 660 nm.
Photons/sec

660 nm

Wavelength

Photons with energy equal to energy difference between orbits 2 and 3 are
emitted. These photons are emitted in all directions
Theoretical energy level structure for hydrogen
Electronic transitions
Energy Bands
 Electron Energy
 The electrons with the lowest energy are located nearest the
nucleus.
 Ground state electrons- electrons with their normal amount
of energy for that energy level.
 Excited state electrons- electrons that have absorbed energy
and moved to a higher energy level farther from the nucleus.

 Atomic Emission Spectrum

 When atoms electrons lose energy they emit light
 Each atom has a specific light pattern it gives off known as
atomic emission spectrum.
 Excitation
Incoming Energy
Ground Excited
state state

Outgoing Energy
Excited Ground
state state
Color = Energy of Photons
 Energy Level
D

B
Four
excited
states
Energy

Ground state
Excitation of Hydrogen Atoms
Return to Ground State
 IONIZATION
ENERGY
 The ionization energy is the energy required to
remove a valence electron from the atom in a
gaseous state.
 When an electron is removed from an atom, a
cation (+ ion) with a 1+ charge is formed.

Na (g) + IE Na+ + e-
 IONIZATION
ENERGY
 The ionization energy Larger
decreases going down a atom
group, because less energy Less IE
is required to remove an
electron from the outer
shell since it is further
from the nucleus.

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 IONIZATION
ENERGY
 Going across a period,
the ionization energy
increases because the
increased nuclear
charge of the atom
holds the valence
electrons more tightly
and therefore it is more
difficult to remove.

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 IONIZATION
ENERGY
 In general, the ionization
energy is low for metals
and high for non-metals.
 Review of ionization
energies of elements in
periods 2-4 indicate
some anomalies to the
general increasing trend.

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 IONIZATION
ENERGY
 These anomalies are caused by more stable
electron configurations of the atoms in groups 2
(complete “s” sublevel) and group 5 (half-filled “p”
sublevels) that cause an increase in their ionization
energy compared to the next element.

Be 1s2 2s2 N 1s2 2s2 2p3

B 1s2 2s2 2p1 O 1s2 2s2 2p4

More More stable
stable (1/2 filled)
Higher IE Higher IE
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 METALLIC
CHARACTER
 Metallic character is the ability of an atom to lose
electrons easily.
 This character is more prevalent in the elements
on the left side of the periodic table (metals), and
decreases going across a period and increases for
elements going down a group.

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 Example :

Indicate the element in each set that has the higher

ionization energy and explain your choice:

F N or C

Highest IE due
to most
nuclear charge

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